It finally happened. The skies got grey Wednesday and dumped some water onto the Ridge. And then, without any fanfare, the storm passed and returned the Ridge to sunny, spring-like days.

The storm dropped about .67 inches on the Ridge, bringing Paradise Irrigation District's total water storage to 59 percent of capacity, which is about 7,258 acre feet. PID customers use a total of about 7,000 acre-feet a year, said District General Manager George Barber during a recent meeting.

While the water was welcome it is not near enough to quell drought fears for locals.

Tom Gibson took a few minutes from fueling up his pickup to weigh in on the subject.

"We need a lot of (rain) and we need it to soak in," he said while fueling up at the Arco AM/PM on the corner of Clark and Elliott roads.

He has been watching the weather forecasts and was pleased to see the rain.

"I didn't think it was even going to rain this hard. I thought it might rain a little bit, but apparently it's raining a little bit harder than I anticipated," he said.

Still, he said more is needed before he can quit worrying about the drought.

Paradise resident Mary Lackey agreed. She has been in Paradise for about 20 years and knows it's been dry before, but said this year it's "pretty bad."

In addition to the drought, Dave Herndon is also concerned about his business, Ponderosa Pest and Weed Control. "(The rain) is a blessing," he said. "Without the rain there's no weeds, and without weeds I don't work."

He watches the weather on a daily basis because his work depends on it, he said. And, so far, the drought concern is still there, he said.

"We need a lot more rain that what we have had," he said.

So what does the forecast have in store?

According to the National Weather Service it's going to be sunny and partly sunny days, at least through next Thursday. High temperatures will be in the low-to-mid 50s, but will climb higher into the low 60s as the week goes on.

Low temperatures are expected to stay in the low 40s. AccuWeather takes the forecasts bit further with cooler temperatures with possible moisture by next Saturday. AccuWeather also predicts a storm will roll in right around Valentine's Day weekend. Even better news is that it looks as if it might hang out for a few days before drying out again.